Great shot! It's not often you see a Superfort in OD.

Great forgotten aircraft: The Consolidated B-32 Dominator.
If for any reason the B-29 had failed, the B-32 would be a legendary aircraft today.

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps5acd06e9.jpg

@RedOctober I was just ruffling your feathers with the VHS thing.

When I was I high school I had some friends and classmates that where into military history most of my class mates in English 4 where into the industrial trades so if you talked about engines and machinery you had their interest if you knew what you where talking about.The posh kids found my topic pretty drab I'm sure.

This is the first time I saw a B-29 painted green. I didn't even know they did. It looks good. :rock:

You might get a kick out of these, Mr Gearhead. At one point both the B-17 and B-29 were subjects of experiments with Allison engines.

XB-38
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps8e926c21.jpg


And XB-39
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a3...ps939a3047.jpg

That's what I was referring to when I mentioned OD - olive drab. The prototypes and a few of the first ones were painted that way. Then the USAAF decided that they didn't want to camoflage them anymore. They wanted the Germans to know they were coming.

It sure sucks being a back up plan when you never get called upon.I think they did manage to fly a few missions in August of 45.

Another unappreciated bird from Consolidated would be the PBY Catalina.The "Cat" performed many vital but usually thankless missions.I saw the PBY get listed a few times but no photos yet.
http://i1162.photobucket.com/albums/...ps219f9d43.jpg

@HunterICX Every red blooded American knows that wrapping an ammo belt around yourself instantly makes you 150% more bad ass.

So you've been? :03:

I should post a picture or two of my cheeky mate who decided he could climb into an SR-71 :)

If you or anyone is interested I'll show a picture of me alongside a Sabre just after I'd took her out for a few circuits :smug:

Ju-88 A-4

http://imageshack.us/a/img547/2380/photofeb22075950.jpg

I know... :D


and I know exactly how that is. I'll get up to give a presentation on the products manufactured by Boeing and the class all slumps in their seats and they prepare for boredom...but I obviously didn't think it was boring if I did a presentation about it.

That explains why just an aircraft number and no squadron or flight markings.

The real reason they stopped painting the planes in WW2 was to speed up production. The army found out that the camoflage didn't help, in fact they found out that even a light paint made aircraft easier to see from the ground. They did some quick experimenting and discovered that the bare aluminum was just as good, yet easier and faster for production. They also later found out that the decrease in weight of the paint had a small advantage, mostly on transit from the US to England. Funny thing, they still painted the insides that weren't occupied.

I wasn't aware they used B-29's in the ETO.

You have to find a way to engage your audience that is the trick to a presentation.

The PBY was definitely under appreciated and an unsung hero of the Pacific. The patrols they went on, the sailors and pilots they rescued made them a priceless aircraft. I don't think it an exageration to say they made a significant difference in the war.

They where never used in the ETO they likely would have if they had come into service sooner I'm sure.The way it worked out by summer 1944 it was clear that the B-17s and B-24 could do the job just fine in Europe and they needed every single B-29 available to bomb Japan(and parts of China under Japanese control).

The Germans did know some things about the B-29 project and where concerned the Ta-152H was designed specifically to counter it.

@fireftr18 The Catalina also contributed much to ASW operations along the East Coast and all of the UK when flown by Coastal Command.